Peace must be rescued from terrorists
Three Palestinian terrorist organizations have said nothing doing to President Bush’s peace initiative in the Mideast, and to make their opposition unmistakably clear, they have killed Israelis again. What comes next? Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister, must stick to his pledge of quelling terrorism, and the United States must do as Secretary of State Colin Powell has pledged: help the Palestinian Authority create an effective police force. Yasser Arafat should also decide to do the right thing for his own people – further the peace process – and Arab leaders in other lands must join the antiterror campaign.
Abbas has said he wishes to avoid “civil war,” but if he does not assert himself to end the anti-Israeli terrorism – as he has agreed to do – the way to an independent Palestinian state will once more be postponed indefinitely. The misery of the Palestinians will continue. The two-way killing will continue. The Palestinians will not thereby be the winners. More of them will die than Israelis.
And Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel – what should he do? He should continue to back the Bush plan, which he is so far doing. Even after the shootings, he proceeded to remove certain West Bank outposts. For both Abbas and Sharon, the political difficulties run deep, but considering the stakes, they should summon up their courage and take some risks. Appeals can be made to the terrorist groups – Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al Aksa Brigade – but their commitment to either destroy or control Israel is strikingly clear.
The crucial step is for the reasonable Palestinian leadership to be just as clear that it will not tolerate the hopelessness that these groups inflict on the Palestinian people through their terrorism. With assistance from the United States and others, the end can be accomplished, and the chances for peace can remain alive.